Maxine Locklear Amos never missed a North Carolina Women of the ELCA (NC WELCA) Fall or Spring Gathering. She was also a fixture at annual NC Women of the ELCA Gatherings at Lenoir-Rhyne every summer, and attended every Women of the ELCA Triennial Gathering, no matter where across this church it was held. This organization was near and dear to her heart, and Maxine meant a lot to the women of the North Carolina Women of the ELCA.

Most current board members can share stories about her influence and encouragement of their involvement in the organization, which she often said, “gave me a home, a voice, and helped me find a way to serve the Lord boldly. As a woman of color, who understood what it meant to be voiceless, the Women of the ELCA empowered me in more ways than anyone can ever imagine.”

So it was not surprising that, when she passed away this past summer, she left a bequest for the group, expressing her wishes that it be used “to help the women of North Carolina.”

When the NC WELCA Board convened in November, one of the items on their agenda was how to best fulfill that simple request. After some discussion, the Board established the Maxine Amos Triennial Scholarship. Maxine attended every Triennial Gathering and wanted other women to have the opportunity to do the same. Says NC WELCA President Terri Brown, “Going to Triennial is not inexpensive. There’s airfare, hotels, meals, transportation like bus and cab fares… It adds up in a hurry and can be prohibitive for a lot of women who really want to experience it.” The scholarship funds can be used to cover some of those expenses and make it possible for a woman to attend and enjoy the worship and the many activities that are available.

Scholarship recipients will be expected to attend worship services and activities during the Triennial Gathering and to write an article for The Bulletin, NC WELCA’s monthly newsletter, about their experience. Scholarships will be given to one woman of color or whose primary language is not English, and to one woman who would not be able to attend a Triennial Gathering due to finances.

“We wanted to honor Maxine’s wishes in a meaningful way,” Brown said. “We believe this would make her very happy.”

This simple application should be completed. Submission information can be found on the website: NCWELCA.com/forms.